Dice have been known for thousands of years, at least from the time of the early Egyptians as depicted on their monuments. Dice have been used not only for amusement and gambling, but also for decoration, for example a pair of dice secured together with a cord and suspended from a support such as the rear view mirror in an automobile. Frequently such decorative dice are embellished in some additional manner such as the presently popular furry dice.
The known dice comprise a small cube. On each of its six sides is placed a number ranging from one to six. The sum of the two numbers on the opposite sides of a die is always seven, thus if six is at the top, one is at the bottom and so on.
Usually, one, two, three or five dice are used in many games with the dice placed in a cylindrical box about four inches high and from one and a half to two inches in diameter. The box, open at the top is shaken and turned up quickly so that the dice will fall flat on a table. The aggregate amount of the spots uppermost at each throw are summed up and credited to the score of the thrower.
Various other gambling games are played by throwing the dice, including electronically and mechanically operated games that simulate the throwing of a pair of dice.
There are known types of so called electronic dice which are sometimes lighted to improve visibility of the dots or to simulate the rolling of dice by lighting one of the faces of a cube to display a digit rather than dots.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,306,939 to Ferris discloses a pair of dice with fluorescent paint or dye in the dots. When the dice are rolled on a surface (especially on a black surface) and under a black (ultra violet) light the dots will visibly glow.
Haber et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,124,881 teaches a pair of dice with a battery inside which is connected to light emitting diodes for illuminating dots on the faces. A gravity responsive switch on each face is connected so that only the uppermost face will be illuminated when a die comes to rest after being rolled.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,641,840 to Larson is directed to a plastic cube which supports a seven segment numeric display on each of its six facets. Within the cube, an electronic circuit including a random number generator and motion-sensing switch are supported. During cube motion, the electronic circuit is operative to impress various numbers on the numeric displays. Once motion ceases, the last occurring number is displayed on all six numeric displays. The disclosure of each of the foregoing patents is hereby incorporated by reference.
The present invention concerns a decorative display or novelty device similar to the popular furry dice which is usually hung above an automobile dashboard from the rearview mirror support. However such furry dice are usually flimsy static structures often made from foam material such as Styrofoam.
To the contrary the present invention has two die bodies each of which is made of a light weight and strong material such as rigid or flexible plastic with each die face having dots which can be illuminated. Instead of having an internal battery which is expensive and hard to replace, the illumination of the of the dots of the present invention is actuated by an external power source such as a cord connected to a jack for plugging into a cigarette lighter.
The dice of the present invention are preferably made of a light weight but strong material such as molded opaque plastic material with six die faces that enclose a hollow central portion where a source of illumination, such as a miniature 12 volt light bulb or a light emitting diode (LED) can be housed. Light weight is important so that the dice do not swing excessively or damage the windshield during emergency stopping. It is also preferable that the surface of the dice be covered with a fabric or flocking material to prevent unwanted reflections and have a soft exterior.
In addition the device of the present invention is sturdier and more durable than styrofoam structures of the prior art.